The following accounts were taken from Columbia County Sheriff’s Office incident reports:

Sitter scammed before first day

An Evans woman looking for a baby-sitting job said someone tried to scam her.

The 20-year-old woman said she met a man who identified himself as James C. Martins while searching on www.SitterCity.com. She and the man were negotiating a contract for her to baby-sit his 2-year-old daughter.

A major Columbia County traffic artery that was closed for construction reopened Tuesday.

Hardy McManus Road was closed on Sept. 15 to allow construction of the William Few Parkway extension. It is being extended from the dead end at Riverwood Parkway to Hardy McManus Road just east of Halali Farm Road.

With the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce announcing five-star accreditation Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in the state Legislature said they plan to work with community leaders to improve highway infrastructure, expand broadband coverage and reform income tax regulations to attract new businesses to the area.

“The stage has been set for us to succeed,” Sen. Bill Jackson, R-Appling, said during the chamber’s annual pre-legislative breakfast.

Columbia County commissioners voted Tuesday to allow a developer to withdraw a petition to rezone more than 200 acres off of William Few Parkway to build a new 280-home neighborhood.

Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Co. was facing a determined and organized opposition to the rezoning petition from other property owners in the area, many of whom came to a Nov. 6 Planning Commission meeting to voice their concerns.

Organizers for the 2014 Martinez-Evans Christmas Parade are seeking entries for the parade’s 50th anniversary year. The parade, founded and sponsored by the Merchants Association of Columbia County, is set for Dec. 7. Applications and information for the parade can be located on the merchants web site at columbiacountyfair.net/christmas.html